


That Sheds His Blood With Me

by Kadorienne



Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Ampersand - Freeform, Brodinsons, Bromance, Brotherhood, Epic Bromance, Gen, Platonic Male/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-16
Updated: 2012-11-16
Packaged: 2017-11-18 20:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/564758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kadorienne/pseuds/Kadorienne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Because you are my brother," Thor told him.</p><p>(Politics and family on Asgard. A brotherly love story.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Sheds His Blood With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Grey Bard, Anne-Li, Heather Sparrows and Andartha for betaing.
> 
> This is the Amora from _Tales of Asgard_.

"Do you see him?"

Thor had been asking the question for decades now. Every day he went to the Observatory and Heimdall told him the news of his brother as the labor of repairing the Bifrost went on below them.

Fifty years in Jotunheim - the realm Loki had come from, the realm he had tried to destroy. That had been Loki's sentence, for sending the Destroyer after Thor, for trying to destroy Jotunheim, for attempting to conquer Earth. 

The banishment would have been permanent if not for Thor's intervention. Loki had remained muzzled throughout his trial to stop him from calling on his magic - or from weaving silver webs of words to dissuade them from punishing him properly. It was Thor who had urged Odin and the Thing to take into account what Loki had endured at the hands of Thanos, who had brought in the healers to testify about the systematic torture of Asgard's younger prince. In the light of this, Loki's inept invasion came to appear like deliberate sabotage of a crime he had been forced to commit. He could not be held blameless, but Thor pleaded for leniency. 

Thor was beloved of Asgard, and everyone knew that one day Thor would be king. Angering a future king was an unwise move. Accordingly, the Thing had also urged Odin to be merciful. Thor himself had made impassioned pleas. "When I endangered Asgard, I was banished only until I proved myself worthy to return. Surely my brother deserves the same mercy."

Thor made certain that not only the Thing but also Frigga heard his appeals. That was likely what persuaded Odin; the queen would have given him no peace had he lost her younger son a second time. Had she been present when Odin had brought the princes and their friends back from their ill-fated visit to Jotunheim, Odin would never have dared to banish Thor to Earth.

Manipulating their father was the sort of thing Loki would do. Had done. As a boy, Loki had often waited until their mother was present before asking for things, or had appealed to her when his mischief got him into trouble. Thor had scorned him for hiding behind their mother's skirts, but on the day that Odin had reduced him to human form and banished him, mere hours after he had been intending to crown him - and for the crime of attempting to repeat Odin's own exploits - Thor had begun to see Loki as sensible, not cowardly. Indeed, Thor's own feelings towards his father had rapidly changed from admiration to fear. Odin could render his favorite son helpless and drop him in front of a Midgardian vehicle. He could see his other son hanging over an abyss and still refuse him any scrap of comfort.

That fear had made Thor start to flatter his father. He had never needed to before, his admiration had been sincere. But after losing his brother, looking over the drop from which Loki had fallen, Thor had had to force himself to say the words. " _There will never be a wiser king than you."_ It was so absurd it seemed even Odin could not swallow it, but he had. Thor had almost choked on his next words. " _Or a better father."_

And since then he had, for the first time in his life, set about trying to deceive. He had argued with his father as little as possible - after all, had his banishment not made him wiser, humbler?

It had, but not in the way Odin believed.

And so Loki's sentence had been fifty years. Still a long time to live in a bleak and shattered realm. One that would be hostile to Loki as a supposed Asgardian, and as the former king who had attempted to destroy their realm. Laufey had followed the tradition of abandoning an unwanted child to the will of the Norns instead of simply killing it outright, wishing the infant Loki gone but not wanting the blood on his own hands. Similarly, many Asgardians were hoping that some obliging Jotun would dispose of Loki for them, relieve them of the problem without incurring the future king's enmity. Thor knew this, but he had faith in his brother's abilities.

Thor had gone to Loki's cell after the trial was over, on the eve of Loki's exile. He had stood outside the cell, the brothers studying each other through the bars. Loki could not speak through the muzzle and disdained trying to communicate with gestures or even by writing, but perhaps he could not hide the question in his eyes.

"Because you are my brother," Thor told him. Loki's eyes shone with tears he would not let fall and after a second he looked away, then turned his back, his spine rigid with the emotions he did not wish to display.

"If you are willing," Thor said in a low voice, "we can try to mend things between us. When this is over. It may take years, but we have them. I...."

Such a long moment passed before he could continue speaking that Loki turned to look at him, searching his face with the piercing gaze Thor was so familiar with, which seemed to strip everything bare before it.

"I was not a good enough brother to you," Thor admitted at last. "Because I was thoughtless and selfish, not because I did not love you, I swear it. Might we try to forgive each other, in time? To be brothers once more?"

Loki had regarded him for a very long time with enormous eyes. Thor had held his gaze, willing his sincerity, his remorse, his loyalty to show in his face. And Loki's face had crumpled like a boy's, and he had reached through the bars and taken Thor's hand. They had stood for several minutes like that, hands clasped tightly, eyes locked as they tried to find what remained of the bond that had been strained to its breaking point. Thor could not necessarily trust Loki's apparent acceptance of his offer of truce, he knew that, but he would give his brother the chance to prove that he was in earnest. If he could redeem Loki from the darkness that had claimed him, if he could repair his brother's broken heart, he was going to do it.

Eventually Thor had to bring up more practical matters. "Do you think you can survive fifty years on Jotunheim?"

Even around the muzzle, Thor could see that Loki was smirking. Loki already had a plan, of course he did. And _that_ , Thor could have faith in. Thor had smiled, lifted his free hand to rest on the side of Loki's neck. Loki had reached up to clasp his hand there, and Thor had to swallow hard before he could speak again.

"I will ask Heimdall to look for you every day," Thor promised. Loki gave both his hands a little squeeze before finally releasing them and going to sit on the narrow cot, weariness evident in his every movement. 

Thor nodded. "I will leave you to rest." They had exchanged one last look, full of relief on both sides that reconciliation was at last in view, and Thor left feeling as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from him. The way ahead would be a hard one, he knew, but hardship was not frightening to him, only the loss of those he loved.

The next morning Thor personally took his brother to the partially rebuilt Observatory, removed the shackles and muzzle with his own hands (no one else had cared to risk being that close to Loki when he was able to speak words of magic again) and reminded him, "I will ask Heimdall after you every day, brother."

Loki had met his eyes for a moment, but said nothing. When their mother kissed him goodbye, Loki held her tightly but remained silent. Then he had waited, resigned, as Odin had taken out the Tesseract and used it to send Loki to his native realm. Heimdall had stood by, watching.

Thor had kept his promise. Every day he had gone to the Observatory and asked Heimdall what Loki was doing, and every day his faith in his brother's abilities, if not necessarily his loyalties, was further restored. Loki had been delivered to a sparsely populated area of Jotunheim to give him a sporting chance of avoiding being struck down at once. Unmuzzled, able to speak spells again, Loki had cast a glamour on himself, making himself look like a Jotun. Actually assuming his frost giant form at will had taken him weeks to learn, but he had done so, making the cold of Jotunheim far more bearable.

Loki had spent weeks watching the Jotnar from the shadows, learning their ways, before allowing any of them to see him more than fleetingly. With no idea that he was the cause of their present misery, the Jotnar had treated him, at first, with indifference. Also with contempt for being, by their standards, a midget. But when they had found that he was a sorcerer, that he could make their arduous lives a bit easier with his powers, they had begun to curry his favor. He was provided with whatever they had to offer in return for his spells. Healing spells were the most requested. Healing had never been Loki's strongest magic, but he could do it well enough to satisfy beings in so much need. Prey had become scarce; Loki could help them find it. He made a beginning at increasing the supply by applying his seiðr to the ice-defying plants and wild animals that populated the realm, helping both to flourish. The unleashed power of the Bifrost had rendered much of the land unstable; earthquakes and avalanches happened with regularity. The Jotun tried to shore it up with ice, but ice melted or cracked. With seiðr Loki was able to fuse the crumbling masses of rock together, mending the very land the Jotnar walked upon. Midget or not, Loki's reputation grew and soon frost giants journeyed from other villages to ask for his help. And Loki gave it, and in return accepted whatever they had to give, however little it might be.

"Why do you think he does it?" Thor asked Heimdall, adding hopefully, "Could he be trying to atone?"

"I cannot see into people's hearts," Heimdall replied.

Thor forced himself to appraise his brother realistically. It was just as likely that Loki was currying favor with the Jotnar to ensure his own survival on their world, or in hopes of blunting their wrath should they ever find out that he was the cause of their present misery. Or that Loki was bored and doing good works to pass the time. Or even all of these. The problem with knowing Loki was that what one learned was that one never knew Loki.

Frigga often accompanied Thor to hear Heimdall's reports. Odin did not trouble himself to join them. Every few days - more seldom as the months and years passed - he would ask Thor how Loki fared, and Thor would summarize. He hoped at first that Odin would be pleased at Loki's efforts to help those he had harmed, but if Odin was, he gave no sign.

"Do you see him, Heimdall?" Thor asked, as he did every day. Loki had been away for thirty years, almost to the day.

"Yes."

"What is he doing?"

"This morning he was mending a mountain which the Bifrost turned to rubble. He made an error and several large rocks fell. He is injured."

Instantly Thor was prepared for rescue, as if Loki were not completely beyond his reach. "Injured? How badly?"

"Three broken ribs. A broken arm. He is resting, healing. The Jotnar are caring for him. He is valuable to them."

"Does he suffer much from his injuries?"

"Far less than he suffered with Thanos."

Thor swallowed. He hated thinking of what that fiend had done to his brother, but he refused to allow himself to avoid the thought. "You heard the testimony of the healers about that?"

"I saw it."

The words were weighty, dropped like three stones into a still pool.

For a few seconds, Thor felt as if he had been dealt a mighty blow to his head. It took a moment for him to look at Heimdall, to speak.

"You saw Loki while Thanos had him?"

Heimdall's golden eyes were fixed, as usual, on something only he could see. He paused before answering, allowing Thor time to take in the implications. "Yes."

"I thought he was beyond your sight. Why did you not tell us?" His grip on Mjölnir had unconsciously tightened. Heimdall was as unperturbed as ever, a mountain amidst howling winds.

"Our king commanded me to tell no one but him that Loki was alive."

Thor was on the verge of blurting out a dozen questions, but Heimdall's taciturn nature made him restrain them. Instead he stood and tried to answer them for himself.

Had he known that Loki was alive, he would have gone after him. No matter what. Had Odin refused to muster enough dark energy to conjure an army to Thanos's realm without the Bifrost, Thor would have found some sorcerer willing to conjure him alone, would have tried to rescue Loki by stealth.

Thor looked at the waves beneath them, roiling like his own gut. "Why have you told me this?"

"I serve Asgard," was all Heimdall said.

Heimdall had always kept his own counsel about his own aims, his own reasons. Many centuries ago Thor had learned that Heimdall's allegiance to his king was more flexible than his words implied. More than once he had abetted Thor and his friends in visiting some realm Odin would have forbidden to them. The disastrous visit to Jotunheim was not the only example of this, only the most glaring, the one where Heimdall had been defying, not Odin's probable wishes, but his explicit command. And when Loki had had the throne of Asgard, Heimdall had not hesitated to disobey him. Heimdall had his own reasons for what he did. 

A few years ago, Thor would have charged into Odin's presence immediately, shouting, demanding explanations and working himself into a lather of righteousness. Loki had set all of these events in motion with the hope of simply teaching him to think before he acted. In that, at least, Loki had been successful. Thor did nothing with his new information for a few weeks, forced himself to go about his normal routine instead of brooding alone, something that would have been noticed.

Still, he was not the liesmith his foster brother was and despite his care, his distraction was noticed. Odin asked him about it one morning as they broke their fast. "What troubles you, my son?"

Thor had looked down at his plate and decided on a half-truth. "Loki was injured on Jotunheim."

"Gravely?" Odin asked.

Thor met his gaze and wondered what his father was thinking. Could Odin really be hoping that some accident would dispatch Loki to Hel, where he would no longer pose any threat of trouble to Odin? Or was it proper paternal concern in his face? Thor could not tell. With a sinking sensation, he realized that he doubted the answer enough to be afraid of it.

"Heimdall says not. But it made me remember what the healers told us about what Thanos did to him." He pushed his plate away; he knew he could eat no more today. He might not even be able to keep down the few bites he had already had. Keeping his eyes on his hands, clenched into fists on the table, he said, "I wish I had known he was alive. I wish I could have saved him."

Odin said gently, "Even if you had known, you could not have rescued him. Not against a foe with magic such as Thanos has, and without the Bifrost to transport you."

And there was Thor's answer. Because he knew that Odin could have transported him, and an army as well. It would have been hard work, but he could have. And had Odin joined them, wielding the Casket or one of the other marvels in the weapons vault, the rescue would have been successful. Loki would have been spared the year of torture, Midgard the invasion attempt he had been compelled to make, and Thor and Frigga the year of grieving.

It would have been difficult, but it could have been done. And surely, for Odin's own son, it should have been. Even for an adopted son. That shouldn't make any difference. It didn't to Frigga or Thor. And Odin had been the one to take Loki from Jotunheim and make him part of their family.

"Thor?" Odin's voice had sharpened. Thor did not dare to look up. If he did, Odin would see all his furious, treasonous thoughts on his face. If he kept his gaze down, he could disguise them as grief.

"Forgive me, Father," Thor answered, his voice rough. "I miss him."

"He must serve out his sentence."

"That is only right." Thor stood. "If you will excuse me, Father, I will go to the training fields, to take my mind off it."

Odin dismissed him, and Thor spent the day deliberately exhausting himself to calm his raging thoughts. It was evening before he made his customary visit to Heimdall to hear news of Loki.

Heimdall, of course, had seen, and heard, his conversation with Odin. Before Thor could ask his usual question, Heimdall stated, "You have learned caution, prince."

"I have," Thor replied with equal simplicity. He waited for Heimdall to say more, perhaps give a glimpse of his reasons, but he did not. At length Thor said, carefully, "When my brother was king, you defied him. You sent my friends to bring me back here."

"Did King Loki serve Asgard well?"

There was only one answer to that. "No."

Heimdall said no more until at last Thor asked, "Do you see him?"

"Yes. He heals. He works magic."

Thor had time to deliberate in the next several years. It was as well he could not talk it over with Loki, though he wished to; this was a decision best arrived at with no suspicion of his brother's manipulation.

For centuries - since childhood, if he were honest - Thor had believed himself ready to be king. Loki had known better. Thor did not doubt that Loki had sabotaged Thor's intended coronation partly out of envy, but he also did not doubt that Loki had also acted for the good of Asgard. Exile on Midgard had shown Thor that he was not ready. It had been a much needed lesson in humility.

But was he ready now?

He still did not think so. But his discovery had destroyed the lingering childish awe he had felt for his father's wisdom. Perhaps in the past, Odin had lived up to Thor's image of him. Now... ready or not, Thor would still be better for Asgard.

It took Thor many months to arrive at this decision. But despite the careful deliberation Thor forced himself to go through, in the end there was only one decision possible. Odin had unforgivably betrayed those who had loved him most. 

Thor considered his course of action for months, and when he had formed it he thought that Loki would have approved. This did not give him as much pause as he would have expected.

He began simply, by talking to his friends. One day as they rested from an afternoon on the practice fields, swapping stories about battles and duels past, he repeated the tale of how he had stormed SHIELD's encampment in his attempt to retrieve Mjölnir. From there the conversation naturally progressed to his banishment in general. He already knew that Sif and the Warriors Three had disapproved of it; they had petitioned both Odin and Loki for his return and broken the law to retrieve him when both had refused. 

"Of course he had to punish you for going to Jotunheim," Sif conceded, "but banishing you was going too far! He knew the Odinsleep was approaching. How could he have sent you away and left Asgard with Loki next in line to the throne?"

Seeing Thor's expression, Fandral spoke up quickly. "Thor, you know we all counted Loki as a friend. And we know that you loved him, and you should - you grew up believing that he was your brother. But you also know he was never suited to the throne."

"He is still my brother, and I love him still," Thor informed them firmly. He studied their faces and saw only sympathy, no real understanding. "And I believe he would not have done such mad things had he not just learned that he was a frost giant. After a shock like that, who could think wisely?"

"It was unfair of Odin," Sif said bluntly. The others looked to her, alarmed, but Sif, headstrong as always, continued, "How could he have expected a Jotun to be one of us? Loki was always odd, and he always struggled to make your father love him, and to get on with us - all of us in Asgard. He had to fight his own nature every day. We are fortunate that for so long he was only mischievous. His alien nature could have made him dangerous much sooner. Raising him as if he were an Asgardian was a peril to Asgard, and must have been endlessly frustrating to him."

Thor looked to the others. "And you, my friends? Do you agree with Sif?"

With a little hesitation, Fandral and Volstagg nodded. "When you told us of Loki's true parentage," Volstagg said, "I thought that at last everything about him finally made sense. The way he preferred magic to combat. His eternal trickery. His sly nature. And the way he took such drastic measures when he was on the throne; I never would have expected him to do any of that. Sif is right, it was unfair to Asgard. And, yes, to Loki."

"He never should have been put in the line of succession," Fandral agreed. "Even if he was after you, it was too much of a risk."

"Hogun?" Thor looked at him. Hogun had been sitting quietly as usual, listening to everything, observing. Loki had used to watch everything like that, the one thing he and Hogun had ever had in common.

"Loki could never have been a true prince of Asgard," Hogun said after a moment, his words measured as always.

It was not quite the conclusion Thor had hoped for - he had hoped his friends would feel more affection for his brother, who had been their friend for centuries - but it would do. And in the months that followed, now and then - not too often - Thor would revisit this line of reasoning, not only with his four bosom companions but with others as well, fellow warriors, high ranking nobles, people who were loyal to Thor and people who disliked Loki - who trusted Odin less for having raised a Jotun as a prince of Asgard. Had Loki known that Thor was using dislike of him in the service of defending him, he would have been gleefully amused. But Loki could never know - Thor could not tell him that he was claiming the throne to protect Loki as well as to serve Asgard.

Loki must never learn that Odin had known he was still alive. During their battle as Thor strove to save Jotunheim from destruction, Thor had seen Loki's heartbreak written clearly on the younger prince's face. Even as Loki had threatened Jane Foster to goad Thor into fighting him, tears had run down his face. Thor had scarcely been able to believe what he was seeing, that in the few days he had been gone his brother had gone mad. Only after Loki had let himself fall from the Bifrost had he learned why.

If Loki's heart were broken again, this time he might never return from the darkness in his soul. Thor would not permit that to happen.

Thor sought out discontent. Any who had been thwarted by Odin's decrees, any who wanted and could not have, Thor offered them a sympathetic ear. And the clear implication that when _he_ was king, things would be different. He even intended to follow through on... some of those promises. The ones he could.

Thor led his friends into glorious battles. He was more careful now, not to lead them into hopeless traps as he had on Jotunheim. But he brought them glory, cementing their bond even more strongly.

The civil war in Svartálfaheim was a lucky thing, at least for Thor's purposes. The warriors of Asgard were eager to take part, not because they cared which faction of dwarves prevailed but because they liked to fight. Asgard had no real interest and so Odin was disinclined to spill Aesir blood and spend Aesir gold on weapons and supplies. Asgard's prince, of course, also longed to join the war, and the arguments between the prince and the king on the subject all took place in public, with never fewer than a dozen witnesses. All Asgard knew that Odin was denying them a good fight. And of course, having publicly and repeatedly told his son that Asgard would not join the war, the king could not then reverse himself without losing face. One day Odin became provoked enough to forbid any citizen of Asgard from joining the dwarves' war even on their own, which increased the discontent markedly.

Thor had never schemed this way before. Perhaps he had learned from Loki, or perhaps he had never had to because Loki had been there to scheme for him.

When only one year remained of Loki's sentence, Thor went to question Heimdall as he did every day. "Do you see him, Heimdall?"

"Yes."

"How is he?"

"The Jotnar have discovered that it was he who unleashed the Bifrost upon them."

"What? How?"

"How they learned of it was shielded from my sight."

"Is he still alive?"

"Yes. He is imprisoned. They are going to subject him to trial by combat, according to Jotun custom."

"How many must he fight? Will he be armed? Tell me everything."

Heimdall did. Loki would be required to fight ten challengers - all at once. He was expected to conjure blades of ice as the Jotnar did, which Thor knew he could do; Loki had mastered the ability to summon ice years before, and thrown icicles had replaced the throwing knives he had used in the past. Still, the Jotun trial by ordeal was not one the accused was expected to survive.

"When?" Thor asked, urgent.

"Tomorrow at dawn."

Thor had made up his mind already, there was no need to ponder. Thankfully, the Bifrost had been rebuilt by now. "If I return in a short time, will you allow me to go to Jotunheim?"

"Yes."

"I will not forget this, good Heimdall," Thor informed him. And he took off at a run.

His first stop was the armory, where Megingjörð, the Power-Belt, was kept. It belonged to Thor, but he had not used it in centuries. It doubled the wearer's strength, but Thor's innate strength was so prodigious that wearing it offended his pride. Now he took it and then went in search of the sorceress who had taught Loki. Loki had been her prize pupil, surely she retained some fondness for him.

She was in the temple as usual, poring over an ancient spellbook. Thor went right to her. "Amora. Loki needs our help."

She stood up at once. "What must I do?"

He explained Loki's peril to her. "I must go to help him. Can you make me invisible?"

She frowned, though already she was entering one of the inner chambers of the temple. "Do you mean to fight for him?"

"No. They would know something was amiss and he would never be safe. He must be seen to vanquish them. I am going to take him this." He held up Megingjörð. "But I have to get to him. Can you help me?"

"Of course." From a recess in the wall she took a helmet, quite ordinary in appearance, without the ornaments favored by royalty, no horns or wings or other embellishments. "This is the Tarnhelm, worn by Alberich, and Fafnir, and Siegfried. It will render you invisible."

Thor took it gratefully. "I can never repay you enough."

She gave him a little smile. "Oh, I think you can." Sobering, she asked, "Thor, do you realize that someone must have told the frost giants who Loki is? Someone who wanted him... never to return?"

"I do."

"Do you know who?"

Thor dropped his eyes to the helmet. "No." But he had a suspicion, like a constant drip of poison in his heart. He did not allow himself to put it into words, not even in his own mind, but the fact remained that there had been a time when Thor's first thought would have been to run to Odin to plead for help for his brother.

Heimdall sent him to Jotunheim as promised, and by stepping carefully, Thor was able to walk past the sentries who were guarding Loki, confining him in an open-mouthed cave. Thor wondered if the cave was one Loki had shored up himself with his magic. Not that gratitude had ever protected Loki before.

He recognized Loki at once, despite his Jotun form. He still looked like Loki, only the coloring was different, and of course the ridges on his forehead. Loki's bright red eyes focused on the spot where Thor was standing, obviously sensing someone despite his invisibility.

"It is I, brother," Thor said, as softly as possible.

Loki's eyes widened even though there was nothing to stare at. He glanced around, but the guards had noticed nothing amiss. "You fool," Loki murmured, his lips barely moving. Thor thought that his tone was a little bit affectionate.

"I had to help you. Here." Thor stood close to Loki, where Loki's body would block the guards' view, and tugged the belt out from under his cloak, pressing it into his hands. Loki recognized it at once. "Do you think you can win if you have this?"

A slow smile spread over Loki's face. That familiar expression was startling on these strangely hued, alien features. "Oh, yes. I was going to escape, but this is much better."

"You have an escape plan?" Thor forced his voice to remain soft. "Let me help you get out of here, then!"

"No. It is better that I face the ordeal. Then the matter will be settled and I will not have to hide." Loki donned the belt and conjured a knife of ice, throwing it at the wall to gauge his enhanced strength. "I shall thank you properly when my exile is over, Thor, but for now, know that you have my gratitude. Go, you are in danger every moment here."

Heimdall brought him back, and it had not been long enough for anyone to notice his absence. He returned the helmet to Amora and spent the rest of the day on the training fields as if everything were normal. At supper, he allowed himself to appear downcast but refused to discuss his reasons with anyone, instead putting away a considerable quantity of mead. He pretended not to feel Odin's eyes on him, and when Frigga caught his eye gave her a reassuring smile that he knew looked forced. It grieved him to have to worry her with his mood, but he could hardly tell her what was happening until he knew the outcome, not unless he wished to cause her even more grief. If only she had more influence with Father. Thor had come to see her as not only kinder, but wiser than his father. When one day he was king, he resolved, he would try to listen to his queen.

Dawn found Thor at the Observatory, chafing at his helplessness and listening intently to every word Heimdall said. He knew when Loki was taken from the cave to the arena - a natural cavern of a good size for a rousing fight, with plenty of room around the edge for spectators. Heimdall reported that even those who had given Loki shelter and supplies in exchange for his magic, even those he had healed or otherwise helped, were ready to see him struck down. But then, as much as Loki had done for them in the past decades, it was not nearly enough to atone for the destruction he had unleashed upon them. 

The fight took hours, and Loki sustained several wounds, but with the help of the belt he prevailed. At Thor's urging, Heimdall reported on the combat in detail, even remarking that it did not seem impossible that Loki had deliberately allowed some of the wounds to be inflicted - to placate the frost giants. At last five of his challengers lay dead and the other five too wounded to fight on. Loki spared their lives and Thor found that he could not care whether it was from compassion or from calculation. By Jotun law Loki had now paid the penalty for his crimes. He was... as safe as anyone could be in Jotunheim.

By evening Thor felt as exhausted as if it had been he fighting for his life all day - and as flush with triumph. In the feasting hall that night he rose and told the story of his foster brother's exploit, sparing no detail - save that of the belt he had taken to Loki. No matter how Asgard felt about its prodigal son, it loved such tales of valor. Soon the hall resounded with toasts and cheers to Loki. Thor wished with all his heart that Loki could have heard it himself. Frigga smiled with pride, but more, Thor thought, with relief. The only flaws to the evening were Odin's tepid enthusiasm for the tale, and the fear that clenched at Thor's heart when he noticed it.

Loki still had one more year in Jotunheim, and after that things in Asgard would have to be attended to. There was time for... all kinds of things to happen, before Loki could return safely to Thor's side. Unless, of course, Asgard was busy with other things in the interim.

All in all, Thor thought that giving Fandral a firm nudge in the direction of the Elvish maiden who was betrothed to the crown prince of Alfheim was a small enough sin, given what was at stake. That the royal family of Asgard had to expend considerable time and energy over the next year smoothing ruffled Elvish feathers in order to preserve the alliance with Alfheim was most unfortunate, but some things couldn't be helped.

 

At last Loki's exile was over. Heimdall opened the Bifrost - the repair had taken nearly all the years of Loki's exile - and brought him home. Loki was in his Asgardian form, and had conjured full ceremonial armor. Thor respectfully stood back to let Frigga embrace him first. As soon as she released him Thor took his turn, cupping the side of Loki's neck with one hand and looking at him - thinner, more weathered, but still his brother - before crushing him close. And despite all that had come between them, Loki had hugged him back without reservation.

But finally Thor had to release him, and let his brother face their father.

Before Odin could speak, Loki bowed deeply. "I am grateful for your mercy, All-Father," he said, so humbly Thor's eyes bulged with incredulity.

But Odin saw nothing amiss, only nodded regally. "Use it wisely, Loki."

Loki raised his eyes to Odin, and Thor could scarcely believe the transformation he saw. Loki looked like a boy again, hopeful and frightened and yearning. Thor felt sick seeing it, knowing what he knew. After all the bastard had done, Loki still wanted his love.

This might interfere with Thor's own plans, but there was no way to avoid that.

Odin turned and left without further words, and Loki's face was promptly guarded once more. Frigga took both her sons back to her chambers, where she plied them with the sweets Loki had always loved and made Loki tell stories of his years on Jotunheim, even though she already knew most of it from Thor and Heimdall.

Still they really knew very little of Jotunheim, so Loki had a great deal to tell them. The Jotnar used their ability to conjure ice to build their homes, or to transform natural caves into dwellings with rooms and furnishings. The animals were unlike anything else in the Nine Realms. "I thought they would be like the arctic creatures of Midgard, but they were not. Those survive by having bodies that are especially adept at keeping themselves warm. The creatures of Jotunheim do not need to be warm, any more than the Jotnar do. Their bodies are as cold as the ice they live in." Loki looked thoughtful. "I do wonder how Midgardian arctic animals might fare there. It would be interesting to observe, if a handful could be taken there. Perhaps bred there, even, and some of the offspring returned to Midgard to replenish their population."

"Have you become any fonder of frost giants?" Thor asked.

Loki shrugged. "They are more tolerable than I expected. Surviving on a giant ball of ice is difficult even for creatures bred for it, so their values are harsh ones. That being why they abandon defective infants to die." His tone was flat. Frigga squeezed his hand, anger flashing in her eyes. "And they have very little in the way of arts or scholarship. If their lives ever become less grueling, they might surprise all the Realms - if they can think of something more interesting to do than unleash another Ice Age on Midgard."

"So they are not the monsters we all supposed?"

"Well. If they don't happen to want you dead, they aren't so bad. I suppose it was rather civilized of them to subject me to trial by combat instead of simply tearing me limb from limb." Loki's mouth twisted. "Perhaps my species explains a great deal about me." Frigga and Thor both opened their mouths to remonstrate, but Loki forestalled them by reaching into his cloak and pulling out the belt. "Which reminds me, Thor. I brought this back to you safely."

Frigga stared at Megingjörð. She knew its properties. "That is-"

"This is how I survived my trial."

"How did you get it?"

"Oh, I used my magic to sneak back into Asgard to steal it." For a few seconds Frigga looked as if she were not certain whether to believe him, but then Loki gave her his old impish smile. "Thor came to Jotunheim to bring it to me."

Thor spent the next several minutes being embraced and wept over by Frigga. Not that he minded, but really. _Mothers._ They had to go on about things instead of distilling it all into a handclasp and an exchange of glances in which everything unsaid was understood. Loki watched his discomfiture with undisguised amusement. 

"Is this your idea of proper thanks, brother?" Thor grumbled as he smoothed his cloak when their mother finally released him.

Loki's eyes widened for an instant, and Thor realized that he was surprised to still be called "brother". Well, he was just going to have to get used to it. "Thank you, Thor," he said quietly. The corners of his mouth quirked up and he added, "I owe you."

"I intend to collect." Thor was smiling, but he meant what he said.

 

With Loki back home, life fell into a routine similar to the old one. Thor trained every day. Loki usually spent his days in the library, or with Frigga, who wished to make up for lost time with her younger son. Thor felt a rightness to the world with his brother restored to him, but his plans caused an undercurrent of tension that never quite went away. The next step was to ask for Loki's aid, but he had to be certain - or at least as certain as he could be - that Loki would give it.

He would have given much to see one of Loki's old sly smiles, to see him laughing over some exasperating prank. But Loki was too melancholy for his old tricks, and spent most of his time brooding, sometimes reading. Thor dragged him to sparring practice sometimes, or to feasts, or out riding; Loki did not argue, but clearly went only to oblige him.

"Is there nothing that would cheer you, brother?" Thor asked one day, finding him sitting in the windowseat in his room with an open book neglected in his lap.

Loki gave him a sad smile. "Nothing you can do, Thor. It is only that... I do not know what to do now."

Thor remembered what Erik Selvig had told him. _"Anyone who's ever going to find their way in this world has to start by admitting they don't know where the hell they are."_ It had been what Thor had needed to hear, at the time, but he doubted it would be useful to Loki. Loki had been lost for years now.

Thor sat across from him. "But you are back home. With me. Things are as they should be."

Again the sad smile. "You must know we cannot simply pick up where we left off, as if nothing ever happened. Our plans were always that one day you would be king and I your chief advisor. You know that cannot be now."

"Of course it can."

Loki looked at him, incredulous. "Thor," he began, then shook his head. "I am grateful for your loyalty, but you must know better."

"I know that you are my brother and your place is by my side."

A less melancholy smile flitted across Loki's face. "Is that what you meant when you told me to know my place?"

Thor frowned. "When did I say that?"

Loki searched his face, eyes penetrating, before shaking his head again, his little smile widening a fraction. "Years ago. It doesn't matter now. But Thor, I have lost Asgard's trust. Quite thoroughly. I will not allow you to jeopardize your throne out of affection for me."

"Do you truly think Asgard would dethrone me for loyalty to my own brother?"

"Asgard knows I am not - never mind." Loki held up his hand to forestall another futile debate over whether they were truly brothers or not. "Perhaps not, Asgard loves you. Still I would be a liability. I have harmed you enough, I do not wish to do so any further."

"You really think I will turn my back on you?"

"There is rather a large difference between turning your back on me and putting me in a position of responsibility that no one else wants me in." Thor began to argue, and Loki stopped him by saying, "Thor, if you offer me the post, I shall refuse it, for your sake. It is the least I can do to thank you for loaning me Megingjörð."

"I offer it to you."

This inspired one of the few genuine smiles Thor had seen on Loki's face since his return. "I am most honored, Your Highness," Loki said, affectionate mockery in the formal words, "but I must regretfully decline."

"I could command you to take it. When I am king."

Loki's smile widened into a gleeful grin. "And I shall defy you, in front of as many witnesses as possible, and you will be forced to banish me."

They laughed together. Thor thought perhaps it was not tactful to do so, but it had been so many years since they had shared a laugh, he could not help himself. "But Loki, you know I cannot do without you."

"Of course I know that. But you cannot give me an official post. It would open all of your actions to suspicion and scrutiny. Spare me knowing that I am the cause of this."

Thor stopped arguing, because as usual Loki was right, but he could not say a word to agree. "Sif said that you thought I was too arrogant and reckless to be king."

"You were."

"And what do you think now?"

Loki laughed ruefully. "I think we would have been better off with a few weeks of an arrogant, reckless king."

"That is not what I meant."

"My big brother is all grown up." His tone was teasing. More seriously he added, "I think that you will be a very good king. Look what you have done for even the most wayward of Asgard's subjects."

Thor could never be entirely certain if Loki was being sincere, but he thought he had few choices now. After what Odin had done, he owed it to Asgard to unseat him. And Loki was the only sorcerer whose loyalty he could hope to trust in this.

For now, he said only, "May your faith in me be justified, brother."

 

Thor chose a day when the weather was beautiful, a gently warm autumn day, and Loki was somber and unoccupied. Thor went to him and gave what he hoped was one of his old boyish grins. "Let's go steal some apples from Idunn."

Loki's eyes were sharp, but he only returned the grin. "You are such a child, Thor."

"Well, if you prefer to stay here and be mature...."

"Not at all. I can hardly let you go alone, you'll be caught."

They rode to the edge of the orchard, where they dismounted, and then Loki gestured with his long-fingered hands and the two of them watched as their illusory doubles climbed the wall and crept into the orchard.

They had been doing this for centuries. Ages ago, Loki had shown off that by this means he could shield them from Heimdall's gaze without arousing his suspicions by disappearing entirely. Since then, when Thor wanted to do or speak of something in the strictest confidence, he would invite Loki to steal apples. And Loki would cast his spells and they would be hidden.

Thor wondered if Heimdall suspected what they were really about when they stole the apples. Still the subterfuge was necessary; he did not know the precise pattern by which Heimdall satisfied his honor. Even though he believed Heimdall had anticipated and approved of his plans, he could not stretch his trust too far.

Thor sat on the grass and brought out the cakes and mead he had brought. Loki sat beside him and helped himself. "Well? What mischief is my noble brother planning?"

"I am asking for your help. In a most serious matter."

"You trust me with serious matters?"

"I require your aid. If I do not trust you with it, I must give it up."

"You intrigue me." Loki studied him, calculating, and seemed to find some sort of answer. "Brother, do you think I do not know how much I owe you? Ask and if it is in my power, I shall do it."

Thor paused for a second before committing himself, condemning himself. Then he spoke, flatly, making no attempt to soften the words. "I want to be king." 

Loki went very still. "I see. You are testing my loyalty to Odin."

"No. It is no test. If you are loyal to our father, if you still think me unfit for the throne, say so and we shall speak no more of this. Or if you prefer, you can tell him of my treason, and perhaps be the favored son at last."

Loki stared at him with enormous eyes. "Do not even joke about that," he said after a long moment. He seemed about to say more, but stopped himself.

"It is not merely that I want it. You can believe this or not, but I think Father is no longer good for Asgard."

Loki smiled, both rueful and affectionate. "Oh, I believe it. Even if you have lost a modicum of that stainless honor of yours, you are still yourself. Do you have a plan, or is that my role?"

"You will help me?"

"Of course."

"But can you? I need your sorcery for this, but Father's seiðr is very powerful. Will you be able to prevail against him?"

"The real question is, can _you_."

"I am no sorcerer."

"Of course not. But most of Odin's seiðr is actually Gungnir's, not his own. And Gungnir's magic is linked to Asgard, to its people and its royal line. It _is_ Asgard. It _is_ kingship. Without wielding it, no one can rule Asgard."

"But...." Thor's voice trailed off. He could not think of a way to say what he was thinking without hurting Loki.

"But why was I able to wield it? Odin called me his son for hundreds of years. The words of a sorcerer have power in them. I am certain he never dreamed that it would be enough to allow me to wield Gungnir or he would not have lied about my parentage. And I was never Asgard's favorite, but it did accept me as one of its princes." He gazed at the distant mountains, lacing his long-fingered hands together as he slipped into reverie. "Do you know, when they brought the spear to me, it was only an hour after Odin confessed to me what I was. I must have stood there for at least five minutes before I could gather the courage to take it into my hands. I was so afraid it would not recognize me as a prince of Asgard. And when it did," he closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling ruefully, "I thought that everything was going to be all right."

Thor could think of nothing to say, so he reached to clasp the side of Loki's neck for a moment.

After a moment, Loki continued, still with that mirthless smile. "I am also certain that if I held the spear now, it would never respond to my will. Now... now Asgard knows I am not its prince, and has no trust in me. But you, oh, Gungnir will leap to life in your grasp."

"Will it? I know nothing of sorcery. I have no idea how to use the spear."

"You don't need to. It will answer to your will. The only question is, has Odin truly lost the mandate of Asgard's people?"

Thor thought, carefully, about everything he had observed in recent years, everything he had listened to, everything he had encouraged. "I believe so. At least, enough that given a choice, they would rather have me."

"Then what is most vitally important is that before Odin knows there is a threat to him, you _must_ put your hand upon Gungnir. It will recognize you as its proper master and he will be unable to use it." Loki smiled, catlike. "Anything else Odin can do, I can counter." His smile faded. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Grant him an old age spent in comfort." Thor watched Loki's face carefully. "And confinement."

Loki nodded, and one corner of his mouth twisted. "That is... probably the wisest course. So tell me the plan. You have supporters?"

Thor outlined what he had been doing for the last several years, how he had built support among the warriors and with various factions of the nobility, how he had given his father a sustained show of contrition. After only a few sentences Loki was staring at him in undisguised amazement. Thor grinned, enjoying having surprised him for once. "Did you think I had learned nothing from you, brother?"

"Well... yes." Loki studied him for a moment, then said, "Go on."

Thor told him the rest of the story, of how the warriors of Asgard chafed at being forbidden to join in the civil war in Svartálfaheim, of how angry Thor's many admirers were at Thor's banishment to Midgard, of all the discontent he had so carefully cultivated. He did not mention how foolish the nobility considered Odin for having passed off a Jotun foundling as an Asgardian prince. No doubt Loki could guess that anyway.

When Thor was finished, Loki sat thinking for several minutes, toying with a cake instead of eating it. At last he spoke.

"He will try to turn me against you, you know. He will offer me your place if I betray you."

"Very possibly."

"And still you trust me to be your accomplice?"

Thor looked at him. "Should I not?"

Loki's mouth twisted. "Of course you should. If I turned on you, do you actually believe he would deliver whatever he promised me in return?"

In the silence that fell, Loki realized what he had said.

"Well, had I told you that honor would compel me to keep my word, you would have laughed."

Thor did laugh. "True." 

Loki tossed the cake he had been fiddling with onto the cloth and leaned close to put a hand on Thor's arm. His expression when he met Thor's eyes was serious. "Thor... I will never be honorable in the way you are, but I know perfectly well that I owe my life to you. Several times over, by now. I'm a trickster, not a fiend."

Thor clasped his hand on Loki's neck, and they stayed like that for a moment, and whether it was prudent or not, Thor felt that he truly had his brother back.

"We have to await the right moment, you know," Loki told him. "People do not like coups when everything is going well enough. Asgard will be far more ready to accept your rule if they are displeased with Odin."

"So now we simply wait?"

"From what you say, we shall not have to wait for long. It sounds as if your father is losing his touch."

 

Loki was right, as it turned out. Only a few days later, several members of Asgard's most prestigious regiment went to Svartálfaheim on their own, defying Odin's command, and joined the fighting there. They chose the more embattled side of the conflict, just for the sport, and turned the tide of the war in a matter of days. In a fortnight the other side was suing for peace, and the Asgardians left them to their negotiations. The regiment returned to popular acclaim - and to a sentence of exile to Earth.

"Father, I don't believe Midgard wants any more Asgardian visitors," Thor protested. "Surely some other realm-"

"Perhaps I should send them to Jotunheim instead?" Odin demanded. He was only being sarcastic, but his words appalled the court nonetheless. Thor bowed his head to indicate acquiescence, and forced himself not to look at Loki, lest some observer notice and read something of their complicity in their glance. Still he knew what Loki was thinking.

_It is time._

As soon as Thor could decently leave the throne room, he did, knowing his friends would follow him.

When Sif, the Warriors Three, and Loki had all joined him, Thor appealed to them with fine words, of valor and glory, of the shame that brave warriors were being punished for their courage like naughty children, of the greater shame if Asgard's warriors showed no loyalty to their own. 

It was Sif who stepped forward, hand on the hilt of her blade. "We will follow you to Midgard to bring them back, Thor."

Thor looked around at them silently for a long moment, giving them time to sense the gravity of the moment. "No. I shall bring them back from the Observatory."

Sif's eyes were riveted on him. The Warriors Three exchanged alert glances before looking back to him.

"My friends, it pains me to say this, but my father no longer serves Asgard well. Asgard needs a king who is as loyal to it as it is to him." Thor looked at each one of them in turn. They all knew what he was about to say, and he saw not the slightest protest in their eyes, only resolve. "My friends, I must ascend the throne."

"How many warriors can you rely on?" Sif asked at once.

Thor listed them quickly, adding the remainder of the banished regiment. "We shall go to them now and rally them. We must act swiftly, my friends."

Hogun spoke, his voice rusty from disuse. "And what of Loki?"

All eyes turned to Loki, who stood immobile, looking resigned.

"We need a sorcerer to prevent my father from stopping our plans with his seiðr," Thor said firmly. "There is none other whose loyalty to me I can be certain of."

"You think you can be sure of _Loki's_ loyalty?" Volstagg demanded. "After everything he has done?"

Sif and Fandral were moving, just a few paces, but enough to flank Loki and prevent him from taking flight. Loki's eyes flitted to them but he showed no other reaction.

"Thor," Sif said, "whatever you have promised him, it will not be enough to ensure that he will not betray you."

"You misapprehend, Lady Sif," Loki said calmly. "I am not incurring a debt. I am paying one." He looked to Thor with a tiny smile. "One of many."

"What debt?" Fandral spoke through clenched teeth. 

Loki looked to him. "You all know I would have been executed years ago if not for my foster brother's generosity."

"And I also know that a slippery snake like you would not hesitate to-"

"Enough," Thor cut in, furious. "Loki has served his sentence. He has made what restitution he could to the Jotnar - the race which left him for dead as an infant and which he was taught to hate. He endured their trial by ordeal. Now he is paying his debt to Asgard. If he betrays us this day, I will defend him from no one." Thor looked to the man he would always see as his brother. "I can say that easily, for I know that he will not."

And Loki met his gaze, and Thor was once more certain that, despite all that had happened, his brother loved him still.

The others scrutinized Loki, and exchanged glances, and nodded their agreement, but their eyes warned Loki of their vengeance should he earn it.

 

Thor found his father in his bedchamber, pacing restlessly, Gungnir in his hand. Frigga sat quietly, letting her husband's temper run itself out before trying to reason with him, as was her habit. Thor approached him with an attempt at his usual impetuosity and hoped his tone sounded properly pleading. "Father, I must speak with you!"

"Leave me, Thor. My patience has worn thin."

Thor stepped closer as if to plead, reached out as if to clasp his father's hands, but instead his hand closed upon Gungnir's shaft. And he froze in shock, because Loki had been right. It was _alive_ , and he could feel the connection between him and it leap to life. Its point glowed briefly, golden and radiant.

Then Odin was thrusting him away. "Watch that presumption, boy! Perhaps you need another sojourn on Earth to teach you your place!"

Thor stood back. Now that the moment had arrived, his heart beat rapidly, but he felt oddly calm. "Enter!" he called out.

Sif and the Warriors Three entered first, swords drawn, followed by Loki, and then by all the warriors whose loyalty Thor had cultivated so carefully. They filled the room, surrounding the king and the prince.

Frigga rose from her seat, but it was her oldest son she looked to, not her husband. Thor tried to reassure her with his gaze. She stood silent, waiting.

Odin looked around at them all, comprehension spreading across his face quickly. "What is this, my son?"

"Your abdication ceremony, Father. Of course you are sage enough to realize that you are too old and weary to serve Asgard well any longer. Stepping down now is the wise decision."

Odin raised his voice. "Guards!"

"The guards are surrounded by warriors loyal to Thor," Sif informed him. "They have sensibly laid down their weapons."

A flash of fury showed in Odin's eyes and he raised Gungnir. The spear glowed brightly for one instant and then abruptly dulled, as if it were a mere toy made of brass with no more power than a random branch fallen on the ground.

Snarling, Odin shifted Gungnir into the crook of his elbow, raising his now empty hands, and called on his own seiðr. Loki's hands had been poised, ready, and he stopped Odin's blast of magic before it could reach Thor.

Odin stared at him, stunned, and then his features creased with sadness. "You too, my son?"

Loki's eyes narrowed. He chuckled bitterly. "I was unaware I had been freshly adopted."

Odin looked surprised. "You have always been my son. Did you truly think I ever felt otherwise?"

Loki's face froze and he raised an eyebrow, waiting. Thor held his breath. He still had his trump card, if he had to he would tell Loki of Odin's worst crime against him, but he hoped desperately that he would not have to. He did not want Loki's heart broken again.

"Perhaps I should have told you, my son, but I wanted the joy of surprising you. At the coming solstice, I was going to announce formally that you were pardoned of all crimes and restored to your former rank - and to the succession. And welcomed back into the House of Odin."

Loki closed his eyes for an instant, his jaw clamped. Sif made a tiny movement forward, but Thor gestured them all to hold still.

"Thor is right about one thing," Odin continued. "I have grown weary. The Odinsleep is approaching. And Asgard will need a king while I sleep. I should have realized the last time that Thor would never mature enough for the throne. Fortunately, I have more than one son." He granted Loki one of the approving, paternal smiles he had always given him so sparingly, and Thor so generously. 

Loki drank in that smile. His eyes shone with unshed tears. Hesitantly, he stepped to Odin's side. The room was so silent that even his soft footfalls were clearly audible.

"Oh, _Father."_ Loki pronounced the title with a catch in his voice, and Thor felt, in that one instant, his brother's centuries of heartache. "This is everything I have ever dreamt of. For the next few weeks, awaiting the solstice celebrations, I could be happier than I ever hoped to be." Smiling tremulously, he held out a hand, and Odin clasped it. Loki held his gaze. "If only I didn't recall who it was who taught me how to lie."

The smile fell from Odin's face. He lifted Gungnir again, but again it did nothing. He switched it to his left hand swiftly and from his right came a torrent of flame, but Loki waved his long fingers and the flames died out almost instantly. Odin's next magical attack was not visible, but it stiffened Loki's body, made his teeth clench with the pain. Loki gritted out a few words of magic from between his clamped jaws and whatever it was left him, his body relaxed in clear relief. As he panted a little for breath, Odin raised his hand for another attempt, but Loki lifted his own hand and Odin's was abruptly covered in ice, just a thin layer but enough to hold his fingers too rigid to cast. Odin glared balefully from his single eye, realizing that he could not win this.

Loki took Gungnir from Odin's other hand, almost gently. It remained an inert piece of metal. Loki regarded it with a bitter mirthless smile before schooling his face and turning away from him. Slowly, with every bit of theatre Loki had learned from millennia of court life and lying, Loki carried the spear to Thor, knelt with due formality, and held it up to him. "My king."

The brothers' eyes met, and Thor saw the tiny glint of irony in Loki's carefully solemn face and knew: if anything could convince Asgard of Loki's loyalty, it was this gesture, offering up the spear which had once, briefly, been his own.

Thor took Gungnir, and its power flared to life at his touch. And at once Thor found that he understood. He had wanted to be king all of his life, centuries long, and had thought he knew how it would feel. He hadn't. He was now a great deal more than he had been one minute ago. It was not an exultant feeling, only a solemn one.

His eyes locked with Loki's again and he knew that his brother understood. Loki had been handed the spear as well, and felt what Thor now felt. And perhaps that knowledge was the most valuable gift his brother could ever bestow upon him, because Thor would never be able to forget that feeling this awe at the power now in his hands was no guarantee that he would use it wisely.

"Thank you, brother," he said softly, so softly that no one but Loki heard. And Loki's eyes showed understanding and sorrow and regret and love.

Odin was standing rooted to the spot, impotent fury in his face. Thor turned to him.

"I will see that your old age is a comfortable one, Father," he said. "Never again will you bear any of the burden of ruling." He turned and chose four warriors to stand guard at his father's door. "Allow any servants my father requires passage in and out, but if anyone is so unkind as to come to trouble him with affairs of state, bring them to me at once." He bowed to Frigga. "And of course, my mother shall come and go as she pleases."

Frigga's smile was warm as she curtsied. "My king."

The night was not over. Thor and those loyal to him had to secure the entire palace. Seeing Gungnir in Thor's hand and mighty warriors at his back, every palace guard swore his loyalty to the new king. Messengers were dispatched to announce that every warrior and noble of Asgard would be expected at the palace in the morning to make their oaths of allegiance to their new king. Finally, Thor and his five most trusted friends went to the Observatory to bring the banished regiment home.

The returned warriors made their oaths to their new king joyfully, and without any actual plan in that direction everyone ended up in the feasting hall, toasting their new king and celebrating the glory soon to come. A handful volunteered to remain sober and guard the palace while their fellows made merry. Frigga joined them for a time, toasted her sons and embraced them joyfully, before returning to her husband's side. Thor made many generous proclamations, as was to be expected at such a time: a general amnesty for most crimes, ten gold pieces for every servant in the palace, a dowry to every maiden who married between now and the solstice, a week of celebration throughout the kingdom.

After several hours of drinking, feasting, and singing, the very drunk captain of the banished regiment caught Thor's attention for a moment. "We knew you wouldden forget us, stranded on Mi'gard," the man said, enunciating with great difficulty. "Not after you sent us to Savar - Svarfal - Dwarf Land. You knew warriors couldden just stay home when there was a good fight."

"Sent you?" Thor repeated, and abruptly he realized that sending half a regiment to a forbidden war was a bit further than Heimdall's code was known to stretch. "How... how do you know that it was I who sent you?"

"Y'r brother! Foshter brother, I mean. Y'r Majesty. Loki wouldna shown us the secret path to Dwarf Land if you hadden told 'im to. He told us we had y'r bleshing." The captain looked very solemn. "He'sh an upshtanding man for a frosht giant."

"I will be certain to tell him of your generous praise," Thor said wryly, looking around for his brother. They were going to have words about this. Not that Thor was angry, all had turned out well, but Loki should have _told_ him he was going to manufacture the crisis which tipped the scales against Odin.

Loki was nowhere to be seen in the vast feasting hall. Thor knew he had been there earlier, he had seen him making Volstagg laugh while the two of them stuffed themselves with strawberry tarts. Volstagg was now working his way through a roasted boar with Hogun's help. Thor rose and went to him. "Do you know where Loki went?"

Volstagg glanced around. "Haven't seen him since I started on this boar." It was about half eaten.

"So that would be what, five minutes?" Fandral put in from the next table, scarcely visible amidst the bevy of young women surrounding him.

Volstagg shrugged. "He ate the last strawberry tart and left when they brought this. Not sweet enough for him, I suppose."

Thor felt the beginnings of disquiet. He gestured to the nearest servant, who all but ran to hear his orders. "Go to my brother's chamber, send someone else to my mother and to the library, tell me where Loki is." 

Both servants returned shortly with the news that Loki was nowhere to be found. It didn't necessarily mean anything. Loki could be in the temple, doing something sorcerous. He could be in the bedchamber of some lady of the court. He could be off brooding somewhere, now that all hope of Odin's affection was irrevocably lost and even Gungnir denied him his former place. 

It was entirely possible that Loki was not up to anything.

Thor told his bosom companions that he would be back in a few minutes. Their lack of reaction when he rose and left the hall allowed him to leave without fuss. The warriors standing guard at the door made as if to follow him, but he ordered them to stay and keep the feasting hall secure. He strode swiftly to the one room in the palace from which the most trouble could be brewed.

Loki was just emerging from the weapons vault when Thor reached it. The guards were lying on the ground and the door was open.

"Loki! What have you done this time!"

Loki stopped in surprise when he saw Thor, then smiled as if quite at ease. He gestured to the prone guards. "They are unharmed, brother. Merely asleep. My morals _have_ improved somewhat."

Thor scrutinized his brother, but Loki's hands were empty, hanging at his side, and there were no bulges under his clothes. There was nothing in the vault small enough to be easily concealed. But then, this was _Loki_. Thor closed the distance between them and gripped his upper arm. "What were you doing in the weapons vault?"

His brother smiled at him, the old impish smile he wore when he had done something Thor would be angry at for a few days and afterwards find very funny. "What your father always intended for me to do. Making peace with Jotunheim."

Thor's fingers tightened. "Explain yourself."

The smile faded from Loki's face. He did not look angry, merely serious. "Do you remember what I told you, Thor? I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal." He inclined his head in a small bow. "And that, Your Majesty, means claiming my own throne."

"Of Jotunheim? You actually think you can be king of Jotunheim?"

"Why not? I am Laufey's only son. The line of succession clearly falls to me."

Thor stared. "Have you gone mad? Again? You tried to destroy their realm! You killed thousands of them! You think they will accept you as their king?"

"They will forgive much from the man who restores this to them." Loki's hands moved, and suddenly the Casket of Ancient Winters was in them. Before Thor could recover from his surprise, a torrent of ice erupted from it, freezing Thor in place, trapping him in ice from his neck down. And for the second time, Thor saw his brother's true form, ridged blue skin and eyes red as blood.

"Damn it, Loki!" Thor strained against the ice. It did not give. "You do not have to risk your life to prove yourself my equal!"

"You'll get out of this, have no fear. If Heimdall could, you certainly can - I even used less of it on you." Loki twirled his hands around each other once more and the Casket disappeared to whatever magical pocket Loki had hidden it in. "But not before I make good my escape." As he spoke, the blue faded from Loki's skin and after a few seconds he was his usual self again.

"I will not allow you to steal the Casket!"

"Steal? Your father stole it. It is the rightful property of the sovereign of Jotunheim."

Thor tried again to break the ice that held him. "Loki, do not do this. They will kill you. I thought you dead once, I have no wish to mourn you again."

Loki smiled, his eyes full of affection. "There is always risk, brother. But I cannot spend my life sitting about in your shadow. I shall return to the realm of my birth. I shall rule. I shall restore Jotunheim to all its, ah," he paused, eyes lighting at some private joke, "glory."

"And then will you unleash the Jotnar upon Midgard, Asgard, all the realms? Our father took the Casket from them because their warlike nature made them too dangerous when they had it!"

Loki nodded ruefully. "We Jotnar do tend to be unpleasant creatures, do we not? But no, brother. I shall not allow them to attack other realms. I shall find more constructive pursuits to keep my subjects occupied. I shall make them too comfortable in their own realm to wish to rouse themselves so." Amusement glinted in Loki's eyes at the thought. "And remember that you can hold the threat of the Bifrost's power over their heads, should they - we - grow restive." He laid a cool hand on the side of Thor's neck, the affectionate gesture Thor himself liked to make. "And Thor, so long as you are my brother - so long as you are my friend - so too shall our kingdoms be."

"Why did you not simply ask me for the Casket?"

One of Loki's eyebrows lifted. "Would you have given it to me?"

"Had you said everything you just did, I might have!"

The impish smile again. "How generous you are, dear brother. But this was so much more fun!"

With that, Loki turned and walked down the echoing corridor. "I will have my revenge for this, brother!" Thor shouted after him. Loki glanced back over his shoulder, his toothy grin visible even in the dim light.

Only after Loki was gone and the ice finally beginning to crack with Thor's struggles against it did Thor allow himself to laugh. 

He had his brother back. All was well.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a platonic love story for a change. So I did.
> 
> The power-belt [Megingjörð](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megingj%C3%B6r%C3%B0) is from Norse mythology. The [Tarnhelm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnhelm) is from Wagner's Ring Cycle.


End file.
